unwanted widespread coercion unsafe
teens & moms at risk unfair
injustice to all involved 
hope & healing you are not alone
 | coerced or forced abortions in America
portraits of coercion flyer │ forced abortion in America (22-pg. pdf) │ forced abortion fact sheet
top 10 reasons it's the unchoice │ teens at risk: fact sheet │ suicide crisis
Coercion is significant. It comes "from all sides." It can escalate to violence, even homicide –– the #1 killer of pregnant women. A husband jumped on his wife’s stomach to force an abortion ... A mother forced her daughter at gunpoint to go to the abortion clinic Outside a parking ramp, a mother was forcibly injected by a physician –-
the baby’s father – with an abortifacient drug ... Discrimination against pregnant employees or renters Violence against pregnant mothers Homicide is the leading killer or pregnant women. Learn more by downloading Forced Abortion in America,
which includes the single-page Forced Abortion fact sheet)
Credentialed advisors, parents, partners, doctors, employers or relatives ... the pressure may be direct and/or indirect, such as landlords that refuse or evict pregnant women and mothers ... family, friends or authorities that threaten or blackmail.
These are not idle threats. Coercion can escalate. Pregnant women have been locked out, beaten, silenced or killed. One employer threatened to push a pregnant employee down the stairs when she refused to abort. One maternity shop fired pregnant employees.1 Homicide is the leading killer of pregnant women. Learn more. Share these user-friendly resources:
Coercion takes many forms and can includes expert deception, censorship or disinformation. Personal pressure can escalate to violence. Threats aren't idle. Homicide is the leading killer of pregnant women. Coercion often comes "from all sides," including decisions made under duress; significant, often systemic and personal and expert pressure; withdrawal of basic needs, such as housing, income, family and friends; or deceptive information presented as fact by credentialed professionals, health officials, even trusted school officials, pastors and religious leaders. The rhetoric of choice suggests no pressure, no desperation, no coercion ... personal or professional ... direct or indirect, such as that reflected in withholding support or even blackmail, ultimatums and threats. The pressure often comes "from all sides."Concealing relevant information or deceptive information presented as fact also acts coercively. 64% felt pressured by others. Even though most felt rushed or uncertain, 67% received no counseling. 79% received no information about alternatives.2 Despite recommendations from health officials, there have been no federally funded studies of abortion's impact on women Americans consider government-funded research on abortion a high priority.3
A PERFECT STORM
direct, indirect even violent coercion § false or deceptive info § other injustices |
The mother:
“I’ll blow her brains out if she doesn't abort." The M.D.: "It's not a baby!" The R.N.: "We have no time for questions." The licensed clinical social worker:
"There are no programs available to help you." The husband: "Have the abortion or I'll leave you and the kids." The pastor: "Abortion is the right thing to do." The school officials who bus students weekly to the clinic:
"One day you'll look back on this and laugh." The rapist: "She wants an abortion ... just put it on my credit card." | 64% of women who aborted felt pressured by others.2 Most felt rushed, yet the majority were not counseled. 2 84% were not given enough information to make an informed "choice." 2 A former abortion clinic security guard testified before the Massachusetts Legislature that women were routinely threatened and abused by the boyfriends or husbands who took them to the clinics to make sure they underwent their scheduled abortions. Few clinics screen for coercion.3
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Violent "choice" ... Threats Can Escalate to Violence or Murder
Coercion can escalate. Many pregnant women have been killed by partners trying to prevent the birth, and women are more likely to be attacked while pregnant.4 Murder is the leading cause of death among pregnant women.5
  
Compassionate Americans on all sides will want to know ... about these injustices and risks to women. People on all sides are ready to open the door to healing after decades of: Unwanted abortions, Coercion or even force from all sides, Deceptive or negligent counseling and medical practices, Coercive, often systemic negligence, Risk to teens, including coercion, sexual molestation, and injury Risks to all women, ranging from pregnancy-related discrimination and coercion to health risks and post-abortion trauma and death Domestic violence toward pregnant women, which can lead to homicide, the leading killer of pregnant women Post-abortion issues, including: grief trauma physical injury, including infertility 6-7 x higher suicide rates 3.5x higher risk of death in abortion's aftermath (3)
Citations 1. For information on these and other cases, see the special report, "Forced Abortion in America." 2. VM Rue et. al., “Induced abortion and traumatic stress: A preliminary comparison of American and Russian women,” Medical Science Monitor 10(10): SR5-16 (2004). 3. Brian McQuarrie, “Guard, clinic at odds at abortion hearing,” Boston Globe, April 16, 1999. 4. Julie A. Gazmararian et al., “The Relationship Between Pregnancy Intendedness and Physical Violence in Mothers of Newborns,” Obstetrics & Gynecology, 85 :1031 (1995); Hortensia Amaro et al., “Violence During Pregnancy and Substance Use,” American Journal of Public Health, 80: 575 (1990); and J. McFarlane et al., “Abuse During Pregnancy and Femicide: Urgent Implications for Women’s Health,” Obstetrics & Gynecology, 100: 27, 27-36 (2002). 5. I.L. Horton and D. Cheng, “Enhanced Surveillance for Pregnancy-Associated Mortality-Maryland, 1993-1998,” JAMA 285(11): 1455-1459 (2001); see also J. Mcfarlane et. al., "Abuse During Pregnancy and Femicide: Urgent Implications for Women's Health," Obstetrics & Gynecology, 100: 27-36 (2002). |
